Buoyant lantern support

ABSTRACT

A buoyant support for portable lanterns of molded thermoplastic construction includes a lantern-receiving socket of varying cross-sectional configuration designed to permit the support to be used with lanterns having different size bases. The ballast chamber of the support is divided by a series of primary and secondary baffles to inhibit movement of the water which is used as a liquid ballast in the support.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Clarence H. Sanford 2055 TulaneDrive, Dayton, Ohio 45431 [21] Appl. No. 848,970 [22] Filed Aug. 11,1969 [45] Patented Oct. 19, 1971 [54] BUOYANT LANTERN SUPPORT 1 1Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 240/52 R, 240/11, 240/26, 9/8.3 E [51] Int. Cl ..F2lv 31/00,B63b 51/52 [50] Field of Search 240/52 R, 82, 83, 11.1; 9/8, 8.3, 8.3 E,85; 220/22 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 932,722 8/1909Simpson 114/125 Heidler 2,761,423 9/1956 119/72 2,917,755 12/1959 Peck9/8.3 3,137,872 6/1964 Edwards.... 9/83 3,097,622 7/1963 Bell 114/1253,382,834 5/1968 Lewis 114/125 3,513,797 5/1970 Frankel 114/125 PrimaryExaminerRichard C. Queisser Assistant Examiner-John WhalenAtt0rney-MarechaL Biebel, French & Bug;

ABSTRACT: A buoyant support for portable lanterns of moldedthermoplastic construction includes a lantern-receiving socket ofvarying cross-sectional configuration designed to permit the support tobe used with lanterns having different size bases. The ballast chamberof the support is divided by a series of primary and secondary bafflesto inhibit movement of the water which is used as a liquid ballast inthe support.

- PATENT EDncT 19 1911 I3 w Y 33 v nvvs/vron CLARENCE H. SANFORD 5 BY vATTORNEYS BUOYANT LANTERN surron'r BACKGROUND OF TI -IE INVENTION Innight fishing it is desirable to have some means of providing a sourceof light positioned adjacent the surface of the water. While anilluminated buoy would serve this function, it is preferable to providea support which, instead of having the light source permanently attachedthereto, merely provides a supporting base for a portable lantern sothat the lantern may be used for other purposes as well. U.S. Pats. Nos.2,917,755 and 3,137,872 both show buoyant supports of this general type.It will be noted, however, that both of the supports shown in thesepatents are adapted to support only a single type of portable lanternand both require an immobilizing attachment to impart some degree ofstability to the units. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,755, the support must beanchored to the lake or river bottom whereas in the case of U.S. Pat.No. 3,137,872, the support is attached to a pole which in turn may beattached to a boat or the like to impart stability to the support.Additionally, it is desirable to form the support of inexpensive, yetnoncorrodible materials which lend themselves to conventionalmanufacturing processes with a minimum of labor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The portable lanterns which find the mostwidespread use in the environment of the present invention are generallyof two types. In one type, a cylinder of a gaseous material such aspropane is used as fuel, and in a second type a tank is provided for aliquid fuel such as gasoline or kerosene. The buoyant support of thepresent invention is adapted to receive and firmly engage lanterns ofeither of the two general types discussed above by providing a steppedsocket, the upper portion of which is somewhat wider than the lowerportion and is thereby adapted to receive the wider fuel tankcharacteristic of the liquid fuel type of portable lantern and the lowerpart of which is of narrower cross-sectional area and, is, therefore,adapted to receive the longer, yet narrower cylinders which are usuallyassociated with the gaseous fuel-type portable lanterns.

Additionally, the buoyant support of the present invention incorporatesa ballast chamber which conveniently uses water as a liquid ballast toimpart stability to the support without requiring immobilizationthereof. Thus, the support may be loosely tethered to a boat or otherobject and will not be affected by waves and changes in tides, forexample, as would be the case if it were anchored to the bottom of alake or river. On the other hand, it may be loosely towed behind theboat if desired, and requires no rigid support, thereby facilitatingnavigation of the craft. The ballast chamber is provided with a seriesof baffles which tend to inhibit movement of the liquid ballast withinthe chamber and further enhance the stability of the support.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation view of thesupport of the present invention with a portable lantern of the liquidfuel type installed therein;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the support engaging aportable lantern of the gaseous fuel type;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the support per se;

FIG. 4 is view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a reflector which finds use with the support ofthe present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As seen in the several figuresof the drawings, the buoyant support of the present inventionincorporates a ballast chamber defined by bottom wall 11, a top wall 12,a substantially cylindrical, vertically extending outer wall 13, and aninner, cylindrical, vertically extending wall 14 of steppedconfiguration, to define a substantially toroidal ballast chamber. Afiller spout 15 is mounted on the top wall adjacent the intersection ofthe top and outer sidewalls and a cap 16 is threaded thereon to seal theinterior of the ballast chamber.

The stepped inner wall 14 defines a socket, including an upper portion20 which extends from the top wall downwardly, and a second portion 21of smaller cross-sectional area than the socket which extends from thelower end of the portion 20 downwardly to the bottom of the support. Adrain 22 is provided in the bottom wall of the portion 21 to preventstanding water in the socket.

Extending outwardly from the portion 21 of the socket to the outer walls13 of the ballast chamber are a series of radially extending primarybaffles 30 which extend upwardly from the bottom wall 11 and terminateshort of the intersection of the top and sidewalls. The segments formedby the primary baffles 30 are further subdivided by secondary baffles 31which extend radially inwardly from the outer walls 13 towards thestepped inner wall 14 and upwardly from the bottom wall 11 to a lesserextent than the vertical extent of the primary baffles 30. Normally,ballast liquid is added to the level of the top of the baffles 31, andslots 33 provide communication through the primary baffles to equalizethe level in the ballast chamber.

A series of threaded metal inserts 40, three being shown are secured inthe top wall 12 and receive thumb screws 41 for securing clips 42 to thetop wall. The clips 42 are conveniently made of a light gauge springmetal and have a first fiat portion 43 and second arcuate portion 44which is designed to engage the upper surface of the fuel tank of theparticular lantern being used. The portion 43 of the clip mayconveniently be slotted to permit the clip to be positioned inwardly toengage the usually narrow base 45 of the gaseous fuel-type lantern orslid outwardly to accommodate the usually wider base 46 of the liquidfuel-type lantern. Additionally, a loop 47 may be provided on the topwall 12 to receive a tethering line 48.

The buoyant support as thus far described may be formed for the mostpart, of a thermoplastic material which will easily permit it to beconstructed by molding and which is relatively unaffected by corrosivematerials such as salt water. A suitable material for this purpose ispolyethylene.

As seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, a reflector 50 of inverted dishlikeconfiguration may be provided for directing light from the lanternpositioned in the support toward the surface of the water. As seen inFIG. 5, an opening 51 is defined centrally of the reflector toaccommodate the globe of a portable lantern. Additionally, the edge 52of the opening 51 and a line of weakness 53 formed in the reflector,together define a frangible portion 54 which may be easily'knocked outto accommodate a globes of greater diameters. It will also be noted thata series of louvres 55 are formed outwardly of the frangible portion 54to provide for dissipation of heat generated by the lantern, and toreflect some light generally horizontal.

It will be apparent that where the lantern to by supported by thepresent invention is of the liquid fuel type and consequently has afairly broad base, it is snugly received within the upper portion 20 ofthe socked defined by the inner wall 14. On the other hand, as seen inFIG. 2, where a lantern of the gaseous fuel type is to be used, andconsequently is provided with a narrower but longer base 45, it will bereceived in the lower portion 21 of the socket defined by the inner wall14. Additionally, a filler piece, shown in dotted lines at 60 in FIG. 2,may be utilized to provide further support for narrower lantern bases.

Depending upon the conditions under which the support is used, anappropriate amount of water is placed in the ballast chamber and servesto stabilize the float while the bafiles 30 and 31 inhibit he movementof the ballast within the chamber. Thus, the present invention providesa stable buoyant support for portable lanterns of various sizes whichmay be constructed from inexpensive materials by conventionalconstruction techniques.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing form the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A buoyant lantern support comprising:

a. a substantially closed, hollow and buoyant ballast chamber,

b. means defining a lantern-receivable socket in said support,

c. said socket being formed in at least first and second portions,

d. said first portion being of relatively large cross-sectional area andextending from adjacent the upper surface of said support and adapted toreceive a lantern having a relatively large and low base with the bottomthereof positioned above said second socket portion, and

e. said second portion being of smaller cross-sectional area than saidfirst portion, and adapted to receive a lantern having a relativelysmall, elongated base with the bottom thereof positioned beneath saidfirst socket portion.

2. The support of claim 1 further comprising:

a. a plurality of primary baffles positioned within said ballast chamberto inhibit movement of liquid ballast in said chamber.

3. The support of claim 2 wherein:

a. said ballast chamber includes a bottom wall and a generallycylindrical sidewall,

b. said socket is positioned substantially centrally of said chamber,and

c. said primary baffles extend radially with respect to said cylindricalsidewall.

4. The support of claim 3 further comprising:

a. a plurality of secondary bafi'les positioned within said ballastchamber intermediate said primary baffles,

b. said secondary baffles each being of a smaller area than each of saidprimary baffles.

5. The support of claim 4 wherein:

a. said secondary baffles extend radially from a point intermediate saidsocket and said sidewall to said sidewall.

6. The support of claim 1 further comprising:

a. top wall extending inwardly from said sidewall, and

b. means mounted on said top wall for securing said lanterns in saidsocket.

7. The support of claim 6 wherein:

a. at least said ballast chamber is formed of thermoplastic material.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

a. said thermoplastic material is polyethylene.

9. The support of claim 7 further comprising:

a. a lantern positioned within said socket,

b. a reflector engaging said lantern and overlying said top wall inspaced relation thereto.

c. said reflector having an opening therein substantially cen trallythereof receiving said lantern, and

d. said reflector having a frangible portion surrounding said openingand substantially concentric therewith.

10. The support of claim 6 wherein:

a. said ballast chamber is defined by said socket defining means andsaid bottom, top and sidewalls to form a substantially toroidally shapedclosed chamber,

b. means defining an opening into said chamber, and

c. means for sealing said opening.

1 1. A floatable lantern support comprising:

a. top and bottom walls and substantially concentric inner and outervertical walls defining a substantially closed buoyant, toroidal ballastchamber, 1

b. a plurality of primary baffles positioned within said chamber andextending radially outwardly from said inner to said outer verticalwall,

c. a plurality of secondary baffles positioned within said chamber,extending radially inwardly from said outer vertical wall andterminating outwardly of said inner vertical wall, d. said secondarybaffles being of less vertical extent than said primary baffles,

e. said inner vertical wall being of stepped configuration and defininga socket of uniform cross-sectional area,

f. a lantern received in said socket,

g. a clip member mounted on said top wall with a portion overlying saidsocket and engaging said lantern,

h. a filler spout mounted on said top wall adjacent the intersection ofsaid top and outer sidewalls,

i. said walls being formed of a thermoplastic material,

j. a reflector of inverted, disk-shaped configuration overlying said topwall in spaced relationship thereto,

k. means defining an aperture centrally of said reflector and receivinga portion of said lantern,

l. a frangible portion of said reflector concentric with respect to saidaperture defining means, and

m. a series of arcuately shaped louvres positioned outwardly of saidfrangible portion.

1. A buoyant lantern support comprising: a. a substantially closed,hollow and buoyant ballast chamber, b. means defining alantern-receivable socket in said support, c. said socket being formedin at least first and second portions, d. said first portion being ofrelatively large cross-sectional area and extending from adjacent theupper surface of said support and adapted to receive a lantern having arelatively large and low base with the bottom thereof positioned abovesaid second socket portion, and e. said second portion being of smallercross-sectional area than said first portion, and adapted to receive alantern having a relatively small, elongated base with the bottomthereof positioned beneath said first socket portion.
 2. The support ofclaim 1 further comprising: a. a plurality of primary baffles positionedwithin said ballast chamber to inhibit movement of liquid ballast insaid chamber.
 3. The support of claim 2 wherein: a. said ballast chamberincludes a bottom wall and a generally cylindrical sidewall, b. saidsocket is positioned substantially centrally of said chamber, and c.said primary baffles extend radially with respect to said cylindricalsidewall.
 4. The support of claim 3 further comprising: a. a pluralityof secondary baffles positioned within said ballast chamber intermediatesaid primary baffles, b. said secondary baffles each being of a smallerarea than each of said primary baffles.
 5. The support of claim 4wherein: a. said secondary baffles extend radially from a pointintermediate said socket and said sidewall to said sidewall.
 6. Thesupport of claim 1 further comprising: a. top wall extending inwardlyfrom said sidewall, and b. means mounted on said top wall for securingsaid lanterns in said socket.
 7. The support of claim 6 wherein: a. atleast said ballast chamber is formed of thermoplastic material.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7 wherein: a. said thermoplastic material ispolyethylene.
 9. The support of claim 7 further comprising: a. a lanternpositioned within said socket, b. a reflector engaging said lantern andoverlying said top wall in spaced relation thereto. c. said reflectorhaving an opening therein substantially centrally thereof receiving saidlantern, and d. said reflector having a frangible portion surroundingsaid opening and substantially concentric therewith.
 10. The support ofclaim 6 wherein: a. said ballast chamber is defined by said socketdefining means and said bottom, top and sidewalls to form asubstantially toroidally shaped closed chamber, b. means dEfining anopening into said chamber, and c. means for sealing said opening.
 11. Afloatable lantern support comprising: a. top and bottom walls andsubstantially concentric inner and outer vertical walls defining asubstantially closed buoyant, toroidal ballast chamber, b. a pluralityof primary baffles positioned within said chamber and extending radiallyoutwardly from said inner to said outer vertical wall, c. a plurality ofsecondary baffles positioned within said chamber, extending radiallyinwardly from said outer vertical wall and terminating outwardly of saidinner vertical wall, d. said secondary baffles being of less verticalextent than said primary baffles, e. said inner vertical wall being ofstepped configuration and defining a socket of uniform cross-sectionalarea, f. a lantern received in said socket, g. a clip member mounted onsaid top wall with a portion overlying said socket and engaging saidlantern, h. a filler spout mounted on said top wall adjacent theintersection of said top and outer sidewalls, i. said walls being formedof a thermoplastic material, j. a reflector of inverted, disk-shapedconfiguration overlying said top wall in spaced relationship thereto, k.means defining an aperture centrally of said reflector and receiving aportion of said lantern, l. a frangible portion of said reflectorconcentric with respect to said aperture defining means, and m. a seriesof arcuately shaped louvres positioned outwardly of said frangibleportion.